Lesson 143

Romans Chapter Eleven

The Faithfulness of God

Israel’s Failure Benefits Gentiles

Romans 11:11-12 Israel's failure benefits the Gentiles

After painting such a dark picture from the O.T. quotes predicting Israel's hardening, her judicial blindness;

Paul once again reassures us that Israel's rejection and spiritual blindness is but temporary.

- Because of their disobedience of God's revelation, their rejection of the Messiah, and their opposition now to the gospel, the Jews have brought upon themselves divine judgment in the form of judicial blindness for a time.

- 11:11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they?

Idea here that we draw from the contrast of the 2 verbs is to stumble

with a view to falling beyond the possibility of recovery,

therefore permanently!

God, in His infinite wisdom, was not taken back by the rebellion of Israel. [did not catch God by surprise]

Conclusion:

If Israel's disobedience has brought judgment on the Jews, it has

also brought salvation to the Gentiles.

Even the turning of the Gentiles to Messiah will have a beneficial

effect on the Jews. God will use this to provoke the Jews to

jealousy.

Paul has answered two very crucial questions to this point in Ch-11.

(1) Has the Word of God failed because Israel has failed (see 9:6)?

(2) Is there any hope for the nation Israel, or was her failure fatal and final (see 11:1, 11)?

- Since God's promises to Israel are not based upon human merit or works but on His sovereign grace, they are unthreatened by Israel's disobedience.

Rem: God is so sovereign that even man's rebellion does not thwart

His plans and purposes.

Rem: that God's grace always is greater than man's sin, 5:20.

The spotlight has been on Israel up to this point.

Paul does not want her failure to produce the wrong result in the hearts and lives of his Gentile readers.

The Gentiles are no different than the Jews, for all have sinned. The failures of Israel should serve to warn the Gentiles against committing similar sins.

As a result, Paul turns from explanation to application in verse 13 of Romans 11.

He wishes for his Gentile readers to learn from Israel's failures. He desires that they respond to God's grace with humility and praise toward God rather than with pride turn to themselves..

The structure of our text can be summarized this way:

It is probably best to view our passage as falling into two major

sections.

* Paul's ministry to the Gentiles as a faithful servant 11:13-15

focus is on Paul, on his identity as a Jew, and on his ministry to

the Gentiles.

* Paul's words of admonition to the Gentiles, based upon the failure

of the Jews, gives 2 illustrations -- 11:16-24

focus on Paul's Gentile readers, who may misinterpret the failure of

the Jews and the blessings which God has been pouring out on the

Gentiles.

Paul's Ministry to the Gentiles Fulfills God's Plan: Romans 11:13-15

But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles.

Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

In the same breath he also says; I magnify my ministry,

Stated purpose in context for magnifying his ministry 11:14a

if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. 11:11 10:19

His preaching to the Gentiles certainly did provoke the Jews to jealousy, as we can see in the Book of Acts: (Acts 13:42-50; 22:17-22).

Isaiah's ministry as a prophet of God to the Jews of his generation was not to bring this willful nation to repentance but to proclaim its guilt and even add to it (Isaiah 6:6-12).

Paul performs his ministry to the Gentiles in hope--not only the hope of saving some Gentiles, but in the certain hope that all Israel will be restored to a place of belief and blessing as per God's plan for them.

- This hope is expressed in verse 15.

- Think about it! What you are now as a believer in Christ, a Gentile having come by faith to Christ and having all spiritual blessings in Him, is the fruit of Israel's rejection.

If Israel's rejection of Christ has brought about the basis for "reconciliation of the world," [and it has] how much more the world will be blessed by Israel's acceptance ["fullness of vs:12] of the gospel.

"what will (their) acceptance be but life from the dead?"

[lit. out from the dead ones]

Their rejection brought about reconciliation but their acceptance

"life from the dead."

- What is primary is spiritual resurrection from being dead ones, separated from God [Eph. 2:1-5]

The result is not only life from the dead for the individual but primary in Paul's thinking is the corporate resurrection of Israel!